April 18, 2008 – The Premier healthcare alliance this week launched the QUEST Supplier Innovation Program, focused on testing effectiveness of new healthcare technologies through the QUEST: High Performing Hospitals initiative.
The purpose of program is to accelerate access to technologies proven to be safe and effective. The program will measure the effectiveness of new technologies against the metrics on which QUEST participating hospitals will be measuring themselves. These measures include harm avoidance, efficiency and mortality reduction.
“In an era when lawmakers and healthcare providers are asking for evidence of clinical effectiveness, this program is designed to help identify and use technologies that can truly improve hospital performance on key measures,” said Mike Alkire, president of Premier Purchasing Partners. “This program, which is open to all manufacturers, will track and test the efficacy and safety outcomes of new technologies from a cost, quality and efficiency standpoint. As key contributors in the safe and efficient delivery of healthcare, manufacturers have a unique opportunity in developing innovative technologies and therapies to improve outcomes.”
The QUEST Supplier Innovation Program is open to all suppliers, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and service providers, regardless of if they are on contract with the Premier healthcare alliance group purchasing organization. Interested suppliers are asked to submit specific details on their innovations, including product attributes, performance measurement criteria, previously completed research and data analysis, testimonials, and an overview of how they anticipate their concept would positively impact the QUEST performance measures. These applications will be reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of volunteers from QUEST program participating hospitals. This group will be charged with selecting those concepts that could provide the best value to the QUEST program. Suppliers will then have the opportunity to present their concepts face-to-face during the 2008 Premier Annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition June 10-13 in Nashville, TN.
After change concepts have been selected, a subset of the QUEST Charter Member hospitals will test, validate and substantiate them. Premier will continuously accept new concepts to stay current with the latest innovations.
QUEST is a three-year, collaborative program among more than 150 leading hospitals that has established a set of measures and benchmarks for five dimensions of hospital performance.
The five measurement areas for QUEST are mortality ratio, evidence-based care, efficiency, patient experience, and harm avoidance.
For more information: www.premierinc.com/quality-safety/tools-services/quest/suppliers/form.j….